Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award facts for kids

The Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award is a special prize given each year in the United States. It celebrates amazing books written for young adults. These books must show great writing, be popular with teens, and have a positive message about life.

The award is named after Amelia Elizabeth Walden. She was a very important writer in the world of young adult literature. She passed away in Westport, Connecticut in 2002. The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) gives out this award every year. An ALAN committee chooses the winning book.

History of the Award

The Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award was created in 2008. It was set up to honor Amelia Elizabeth Walden's wishes. The winning author receives $5,000 each year. The first award was given out on November 23, 2009.

This award shines a light on books for young adults. It looks for stories that offer a positive view of life. It also seeks books that teens will really enjoy and that are very well-written.

Amelia Elizabeth Walden was born in New York City on January 15, 1909. She went to Columbia University and studied drama. From 1935 to 1945, she taught English and drama. She taught at Norwalk High School (Connecticut).

Her first novel, Gateway, came out in 1946. Walden said she wrote it for young people. She wanted to reach those "on that middle ground between adolescence and adulthood." She loved her own teenage years. She said, "It was a period of total involvement, of enjoying life to the hilt." Amelia Elizabeth Walden wrote over 40 novels for young adults.

How Books Are Chosen

A special committee chooses the winning book. This committee has ten members from The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN). They include teachers, university professors, and librarians. They serve for one year and can be chosen again.

The committee picks one winning book. They also choose up to four other books as finalists.

What Kind of Books Can Win?

Based on Amelia Walden's wishes, the chosen book MUST:

• Be a fiction book, usually a novel. It can be a single book or part of a series.
• Have been published within one year before the call for entries.
• Be published in the United States. It might have been published elsewhere first.
• Show a positive approach to life, be popular with teens, and have great writing.

Books That Show a Positive Outlook

Books chosen for the award should:

• Treat teen readers as smart and thoughtful young people.
• Offer hope and optimism, even when things are tough.
• Have a believable and good ending.
• Show characters who are actively making their lives better. This is true even when they face hard times.

Books That Teens Will Love

Books chosen for the award should:

• Be written especially for readers aged 12 to 18.
• Have themes that everyone can relate to, no matter the time or place.
• Connect with many different readers. This includes people of all backgrounds.
• Help readers understand the world better. They should also reflect readers' own experiences.

Books That Are Really Well-Written

Books chosen for the award should:

• Have characters that are fully developed and feel real.
• Use a writing style that fits the story well.
• Use language and literary tools that make the story better.
• Have clear and rich themes.
• Sound authentic and true to life.

Recipients

See also

• Printz Award – American Library Association medal recognizing the year's best book for teens
• Newbery Medal – American literature for children (children or young adults prior to 2000)
• Carnegie Medal – British literature for children or young adults
• Guardian Prize – fiction for children or young adults by British and Commonwealth writers